Page 8 of Nails

“You’re damn lucky it didn’t.”

She gave him a sidelong look.“Yeah.I know.”

They drove in silence for a moment longer before Russell spoke again.

“On the positive side, you made one hell of an impression.”

Riley scrunched her eyebrows together.“With whom?”

“Agent Topper was singing your praises.SWAT guys were impressed, too.I mean, you did take out three suspects on your own.”

She smiled faintly.“If we’re keeping score, I think I got four.”

Russell arched a brow.“I was told three?”

“Took one out before I got shoved to the basement.Add him to the count.”

Russell let out a low whistle.“You’re a damn tank.”

She smiled again, but her eyes were growing heavy.

He glanced over at her one more time.“I’m serious, Riley.I’m lucky to have you on the team.You are one of the best agents I’ve got.”

That one hit her in the chest in a different way.She blinked slowly, then murmured, “Thanks, Russ.”

As they hit a red light, he asked, “You need to go anywhere before I take you to your car?”

She hesitated, then sat up a little.“Actually, I need to stop at the store.”

Russell’s head snapped toward her, and he stared at her like she’d just told him she wanted to run a 5K.“You were shot today, and now you want to go grocery shopping?”

She grinned.“Not for me.For my neighbor.Ms.Torres.She’s got a broken foot and can’t really get around, so I’ve been helping her out.She needed a couple of things.”

He gave a slow shake of his head.“You get shot in the chest, go ten rounds in a raid, spend all day in the ER, and your first thought is‘Hey, let’s run some errands.’I swear, you’re the most selfless person I know.”

Riley smiled.“And since I’m following the doctor’s order to rest, here is her list,” she said, pulling a piece of paper from the pocket of her jeans and handing it to him.

“Smart ass,” he said with a laugh, but took the list from her.

“Tell me about this, Ms.Torres.”

Riley grinned, thinking about her neighbor.“She’s great.Feisty.Independent.Won’t ask for help, but I give it anyway.I help her with yard work, fix the leaky faucet, and change out smoke detectors.You know, that kind of stuff.Right now, she’s in a boot and hates every second of it.But she has the biggest heart.”

“She sounds lovely.”

“She is.I like her a lot.I’m lucky to have a neighbor like her.”

He nodded, pulling into the grocery store parking lot.“All right, I’ll be back.Try to stay out of trouble until I get back.”

“I can’t promise you that,” she joked, as he closed the door.She knew that he had heard her, because she saw him laughing as he walked toward the store.

With the door closed and the radio lowered, a quiet calm enveloped the car like a warm blanket.Her eyelids began to droop with each moment that passed, and even though a faint ache still pulsed in her chest, she allowed herself to relax into the seat.The soft vibration of the engine in the background eased Riley enough to let her guard slip and gently fall into a light sleep.

CHAPTER THREE

In Virginia Beach, Bayside Bar and Grille buzzed with laughter and cheer as everyone gathered to celebrate Ava, Aussie, and their son Christian.

U.S.Navy SEAL Carson “Nails” Torres leaned back in his seat, nursing a beer as he watched Aussie wrap an arm around Ava, her engagement ring glinting in the light while they laughed at something Christian had said.The three of them just fit.It was like looking at a picture-perfect family.The sight brought a real sense of happiness to Nails.His teammate had earned this.Aussie had gained a partner who loved him deeply, a son who looked up to him, and a future that held nothing but hope.